Illuminated sign



Oct 1933- P. J. SCHARRINGHAUSEN 1,931,742

ILLUMINATED SIGN ,Filed Dec. 24, 1930 FULL IS'dmrrL' ham/sen; I3 WflPatented Oct. 24, 1933 1,931,742

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUIVIINATED SIGN Paul J. Scharringhausen,Des Plalnes, Ill.

Application December 24, 1930 Serial No. 504,478

9 Claims. 40.130)

Signs of the luminescent-tube type, such as to provide a chamber 8extending around the neon-tube and argon-tube signs, have become glassplates 4, the edges of said plates being exextraordinarilypopularnotwithstanding their posed within said chamber. Preferably, the wallsrelatively high cost and the impossibility of modi- 0f e Chamber 8 a e Pv d w reflecting 5 fying a given sign so as to display variousmessurface, o p by pp y thereto a sages to the public. coating 9 ofwhite paint or other suitable material.

The object of the present invention is to pro- If desired, the chamber 8may contain two duce a luminescent-tube sign which shall possessluminescent tubes. In the construction herein the attractiveness of theluminescent-tube signs Shown there is a tube 10 in addition to the tube10 of the prior art, which shall be comparatively in- '7, both tubesextending entirely around the glass expensive, and which shall beadapted to be readp ates and lyin i he same plane- These tubes ily andeconomically changed so as to display any may be supported within thechamber 8 "1 any desired message to the beholder. This object haspreferred manner, as by means of brackets been attained by utilizing aluminescent tube for The lower, or any other convenient portion of 15the purpose of transmitting light through the the frame, may be providedwith a chamber 12 edges of a glass plate and by applying the desired tohouse the electrodes of the luminescent tube inscription upon thesurface of the glass plate or tubes. The electrodes of each tube arecony means of crayon, crayola, or equivalent manected into an electriccircuit in the usual or any terial, the light transmitted from theluminescent preferred manner. Where a plurality of tubes 20 tube throughthe glass plate causing the inscripare used, one may be filled with neongas and tion to glow in a manner simulating the appearanother with argongas, the tubes being alterance of a luminescent-tube sign. natelyenergized by means of a flasher of ordi- In the accompanying drawing:nary construction.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a sign embodying The message to bedisplayed by means of the 25 the features of my invention, the viewbeing taken sign may be written upon the outer surfaces of in the planeof dotted line 1-1 of Fig. 2. the glass plates 4' by means of crayon,crayola,

Fig. 2 is a section taken in the plane of line Bon Ami, or othermaterial. The material 2-2 of Fig. 1. used may be white or of the samecolor or colors The embodiment which has been selected to as thatproduced by the luminescent tube or 30 illustrate the inventioncomprises a rectangular tubes, and is preferably, translucent. framesurrounding an edge illuminated glass When the tube or tubes are notenergized it plate, but it will be understood that the frame will beevident that the inscriptions upon the may be of any other desiredoutline. In the glass plates 4 may be read against the opaqueconstruction herein shown, the frame comprises background afforded bythe backing 5 when the 35 two rectangular halves or sections 1 and 2arsign is'exteriorly illuminated by daylight or other ranged to besecured together by any suitable suitable means. When the tube or tubesare in means, as, for example, screws 3. Said frame operation, theletters, symbols, pictures, or other surrounds and supports adouble-faced inscripdesigns applied to the glass plates are illuminatedtion-displaying structure, herein shown as conby the light transmittedfrom the luminescent 40 sisting of two smooth transparent colorlessglass tube through the edges of the glass plates, the plates 4 arrangedside by side with an opaque inscriptions being caused to glow with thecolor backing 5 between them. This backing may of the light produced bythe tube so that at a consist of a coating of paint or the like,preferdistance the inscription has essentially the same ably black, or asheet of black paper, or any appearance as an ordinary neon or argonsign 45 other desired material having a so-called matt but without theobjectionable light-intensity of or non-reflecting surface. As shown inFig. 2, the latter. the frame sections 1 and 2 are rabbeted upon It willbe seen that by reason of the manner their opposed faces so as toprovide a groove 6 in which the message'to be displayed is appliedextending entirely around the inner edge of the to the glass, themessage may be easily erased,

50 frame to receive the edges of the plates 4 and after the manner of aninscription upon a slate, the backing 5. and a different inscriptionplaced thereon, thus Enclosed within the frame is a luminescent makingthe sign particularly useful to merchants tube '7 located in the planeof the glass plates 4 or others who desire to make frequent changes soas to transmit light through the edges of said in their advertisements.

55 plates. HereinIhaveshown the frame as formed While I have shown adouble-faced sign, it

will be evident that the invention may be embodied in a single-facedsign.

The term writing" in the following claims is intended to include theapplication of Bon Ami" or other suitable substances by means of abrush.

I claim as my invention:

1. An illuminated sign comprising a plate. of light pervious materialhaving a smooth surface, means arranged to transmit light through. .an,

edge of said plate and a readily applied and'.r-'

faces of said glass plate in passing substantially edgewise through theplate and a readily applied and removable inscription of translucentmaterial upon the smooth surface of said plate adapted to be renderedluminous by dispersion of light received from said glass plate.

4. In an illuminated sign, a smooth surfaced glass plate, an opaquebacking on one of the smooth surfaces of said plate, means arranged totransmit light into said plate angularly with respect to the smoothsurfaces thereof, whereby the light is reflected back and forth betweenthe smooth surfaces of said glass plate in passing substantiallyedgewise through the plate and a readily applied and removableinscription on the smooth front surface of the plate adapted to berendered luminous by dispersion of light received from said glass plate.

5. An illuminated sign comprising a glass plate having smooth surfaces,an opaque backing for said plate, luminescent tubing arranged totransmit light through the edges of said glass plate and a readilyapplied and removable inscription of translucent material on the smoothfront surface of said plate.

6. An illuminated sign comprising a plate of light pervious materialhaving smooth inner and outer surfaces, means for transmitting lightsubstantially edgewise through said plate, an opaque non-reflectingbacking for said plate and a readily applied and removable inscriptionof translucent material on one of the smooth surfaces of said plate andhaving a contrasting color with respect to said backing.

7. An illuminated sign comprising a plate of light pervious materialhaving smooth inner and outer surfaces, an opaque non-reflecting backingfor said plate, means for transmitting light substantially through theentire peripheral edge of said plate and a readily applied and removableinscription of translucent material on the smooth outer surface of saidplate having a contrasting color with respect to said backing wherebylight transmitted edgewise through said plate is dispersed to produceluminescence of said inscription.

8. An illuminated sign comprising a pair of plates of light perviousmaterial arranged side by side, said plates having continuously smoothinner and outer surfaces, an opaque non-reflecting backing between saidplates, a luminescent tube extending substantially entirely around theperipheral edges of said plates and a readily applied and removableinscription of translucent material on the smooth outer surfaces of saidplates having a contrasting color with respect to said backing andadapted to be rendered luminous through the effect of the edgewiseillumination.

9. The method of producing and displaying an illuminated advertisementwhich consists in transmitting light edgewise through a smooth surfacedlight pervious plate and removably applying to a smooth surface of theplate a substance in the form of characters capable of becomingluminescent from the elfect of light obtained from the interior of theplate.

PAUL J. SCHARRINGHAUSEN.

